Conventional franking machines intended for franking mail items are well known. In addition to their ability to frank standard mail items, they generally comprise a reloadable label dispenser (the band or tape bearing the labels is a consumable) which allows a print on a label instead of a direct print on the mail item. Unwinding of the tape of labels is most often controlled, through kinematics employing gears, pulleys and belts for example, by the motor of the franking machine. Such printing on labels thus allows packets, parcels, rolls or bulky envelopes to be franked which, due to their dimensions, could not pass through a conventional franking machine.
Furthermore, Applicants' product known under the Registered Trademark “simply postage” is known, consisting of a miniature label franking machine incorporating scales, which is used in cooperation with a standard computer (of personal computer type) linked to a server of the franking machine distributor through a telecommunication system.
At the present time, when it is desired to frank bulky envelopes or parcels, one must either have available a conventional franking machine provided with a label dispenser and to which electronic scales must be connected (although such scales may also be directly integrated in the franking machine), the whole being controlled at the level of a user interface of the franking machine, or one can employ the solution mentioned above, the connected miniature machine. However, these two solutions, which both give satisfaction, are still expensive and not very versatile. In effect, the integration of a label dispenser (in the conventional machine) or of electronic scales (in a miniature machine) increases the cost of such machines. Moreover, the reduced user interface of the miniature machine proves to be unsuitable when large quantities of envelopes of standard format and thickness are to be franked.
There is therefore a need at the present time for a universal mail handling system of low cost, more modular and guaranteeing a greater versatility, particularly in the handling of mail of non-standard format.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide such a modular mail handling system, each module being of simple design and easily integrated in the system. Another purpose of the invention is to propose a franked label dispenser forming part of this modular mail handling system.